Hassan Khan shows a document with a photograph of his wife Zeenat Bibi, who was burnt alive by her mother, at his residence in Lahore on June 8, 2016. PHOTO: AFP
He condemned the murder of a 16-year old girl by her mother for marrying without her consent.
The former governor said, “Death penalty should be handed down to those found guilty of crimes against women.”
He said the increase in incidents of violence against women in the Punjab was worrying.
“Young girls are being set ablaze and the culprits are not being held accountable for their crimes,” he said.
Sarwar urged the civil society to play an effective role in raising awareness about women’s rights.
“Development of democratic values in Pakistan is not possible in the current environment,” he said.
He also criticised Defence Minister Khawaja Asif’s remarks about PTI’s Shireen Mazari in the National Assembly on Wednesday. The minister apologised on Thursday.
“Ministers in Pakistan can seem to be able by customs practiced in democracies,” he said.
‘CM has sought a report’
Minister for Human Rights Tahir Khalil Sindhu said on Thursday that Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had sought a report on the incident in 48 hours from the CCPO.
“A three-member team has been formed to investigate the incident,” he said.
The minister said police had arrested the suspects in the case.
Sindhu said honour killing was the worst example of brutality in society.
“The murder of a daughter by her mother is the desecration of a sacred bond,” he said.
Sindhu expressed these views while meeting with a delegation comprising representatives of various human rights organisations.
“No society allows such heinous crime to go unchecked,” he said. “We must seriously reflect on the status of women’s rights in Pakistan.”
“It is appalling that the honour killings are being reported from cities where the population is assumed to be more educated and there is a greater awareness of human rights.”
Published in The Express Tribune, June 10th, 2016.
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